FIBA World Cup 2014 Day 4 Results, Scores, HighlightsMexico 79, Angola 55Tuesday's action kicked off with a Group D clash between Mexico and Angola. Both teams entered the tournament as decided underdogs, but they are now in the mix to advance to the next round as they each have one victory to their credit.
Angola entered the game having already beaten Korea, but the African side was unable to build from that as Mexico picked up its first win of the tournament.
The Mexicans led by just one point at halftime, but they turned up the defensive intensity in a big way during the second half as Angola mustered just 20 points in the third and fourth quarters combined.
Mexico was bolstered by 24 points from former Fresno State guard Hector Hernandez. Also, NBA free agent Gustavo Ayon added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the 2013 FIBA Americas champions.
Mexico and Angola are both on equal footing at this point, but there is no question that the Mexicans have now established themselves as likelier candidates to move on to the knockout stages.
Ukraine 64, Turkey 58The United States remains the team to beat in Group C, but Ukraine emerged as a threat to go deep in this tournament by virtue of a 64-58 victory over Turkey on Tuesday.
Expectations for Turkey were high entering this game after leading Team USA by five at the half during Sunday's game. The Americans eventually stormed back and beat Turkey by 21 points, but it was an impressive showing from the Turkish side nonetheless.
Perhaps Turkey's meltdown against the United States damaged its psyche as it could barely get out of its own way against Ukraine offensively.
New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik was a force for the Turks as he dropped 16 points and nabbed 20 rebounds, but only one other player scored in double figures for Turkey.
Ukraine was led by 19 points off the bench from guard Olexandr Mishula, while former Sacramento Kings guard Pooh Jeter added 10 points and six assists.
Ukraine essentially stamped its ticket to the next round and has a great opportunity to finish second in the group. The Ukrainians may not have any big-name players, but head coach Mike Fratello has the world's 45th-ranked team playing like a potential medal contender.
USA 98, New Zealand 71The United States extended its perfect start at the 2014 FIBA World Cup Tuesday with a routine 98-71 win over New Zealand. Team USA was expected to coast past a team with no NBA players, and that is exactly what they managed to do.
New Zealand had its moments throughout the game and performed admirably, but the Americans had no interest in a repeat of the Turkey game. After needing a strong second-half performance to beat the Turks, USA guard James Harden admitted that they took their opponents lightly, according to The Associated Press (h/t USA Today).
"I guess we felt like (the Finland) game was pretty easy and tonight was going to be the same way, but Turkey came out and they gave us their punch from the beginning," Harden said. "We took it and we were sluggish. That second half we played a lot better."
The United States scored 57 points in the first half and led New Zealand by 22 at the break on Tuesday, so maybe the Turkey game was the scare that Team USA needed.
Big man Anthony Davis has been Team USA's biggest driving force in Spain thus far, and his incredible skill set was on display yet again Tuesday afternoon, according to Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com:
Anthony Davis stole a pass then dribbled 60 feet past everyone for a dunk. Rare talent. He has 19 points after 17 and 19 in prior two gamesIn the end, the United States simply won a game that is was supposed to win. It wasn't a perfect performance by any means, but Team USA was able to work on all facets of their game and should be better prepared for an increased level of competition.
Australia 82, Lithuania 75In perhaps the most evenly matched game of the day, Australia held off Lithuania 82-75 and at least temporarily vaulted to the top of the Group D standings.
The Aussies were bolstered by a diverse offensive attack that saw four players hit double figures in scoring. Most impressively, Australia operated like a well-oiled machine even with 2014 NBA draft fifth-overall selection Dante Exum playing limited minutes.
With that said, the Lithuanians managed to play much better to start the second half as they dropped 28 points in the third quarter. Former NBA draft pick Renaldas Seibutis paced Lithuania with 21 points, but no other starter was able to muster more than four points.
One person who is likely to watch the film from this game intently at some point is Coach K. Per NBA.com's John Schuhmann, Team USA could potentially meet both Australia and Lithuania at some point.
While neither team is considered to be among the elite, they both showed why they are threats to contend for a bronze medal in this tournament at the very least.
Slovenia 89, South Korea 72Just a couple hours after Australia seized first place in Group D, Slovenia returned to the top spot by virtue of a comfortable victory over South Korea.
The Koreans remain winless in Spain, while Slovenia is still among the four unbeaten teams with a record of 3-0. Korea surprisingly held a two-point lead at the end of the first quarter, but Slovenia was able to rebound and truly put the game away in the third and fourth quarters.
As has been the case throughout the tournament thus far, Slovenia was bolstered by the excellent play of Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic. "The Dragon" is coming off a breakout NBA season, and his form has most definitely carried over to the FIBA World Cup.
Dragic ended the game with 22 points, and he was the driving force behind Slovenia's ability to separate itself from Korea in the third quarter, per Matt Petersen of Suns.com:
Dragic/Slovenia finally hit the run they'd been waiting on. Two-point game turned to 15pt lead in a six-minute span. Dragic w/16pts total.Slovenia is now firmly in control of the group, and it has a great chance to cement a perfect record with games against Angola and Lithuania remaining. Things will get much tougher with the likes of Team USA and Spain looming in the knockout rounds, but Slovenia has clearly established itself as one of the best teams at this event.
Dominican Republic 74, Finland 68Superior scoring balance allowed the Dominican Republic to stay in front after taking a strong nine-point halftime advantage and stave off Finland's comeback attempt in a 74-68 victory.
Four players from the winning side scored in double figures. The Dominican Republic featured two former Louisville Cardinals in their starting five in point guard Edgar Sosa and current NBA player Francisco Garcia, who had 16 points.
Ex-Kentucky Wildcat forward Eloy Vargas had 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to make the big difference on the inside for the Dominican Republic.
A penchant for three-pointers saw Finland make just 25 of 70 attempts from the field, though they were 11-of-31 shooting from beyond the arc. The only player in double digits was point guard Petteri Koponen, with a game-high 23 points and nine assists in a losing effort.
The Finnish star is seeking to make his NBA debut in 2015 after being a first-round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2007.
This might have been an international basketball competition, but Koponen at least showed signs he could cut it in the Association with brilliant play on Tuesday.
As for the remainder of the FIBA World Cup, Group C is now firmly in the United States' control. They will try to cap off a perfect 5-0 record before the Round of 16 in facing the Dominican Republic on Wednesday, followed the next day by a matchup with Ukraine.
From
Bleacher Report
Post Merge: September 03, 2014, 11:12:33 PM
Gilas Pilipinas suffers heartbreak again as JJ Barea saves the day for Puerto RicoThe Philippine national men’s basketball team showed its big fighting heart again but faltered in the end as the Filipinos dropped another heartbreaking game, this time to Puerto Rico, 77-73, in the FIBA Basketball World Cup Wednesday in Seville, Spain.
JJ Barea rescued Puerto Rico and finished with 30 points and five rebounds. He also scored a layup with 51.8 seconds left and sank free throws in the endgame to complete Puerto Rico’s comeback from a 14-point deficit.
With the game tied at 70-all, Andray Blatche had the chance to give the lead to the Filipinos with under a minute left. But he threw the ball away as he drove to the basket, giving Puerto Rico an opportunity to grab the lead.
Barea then attacked and finished a layup over Ranidel De Ocampo with 51.8 seconds left to give Puerto Rico a 72-70 lead. De Ocampo missed a triple on the other end, forcing Gilas Pilipinas to send Barea to the line.
Barea made three of his next free throws to give Puerto Rico a 75-70 lead with 13 seconds left. Jimmy Alapag got fouled from downtown and nailed three free throws as Gilas Pilipinas saw some ray of hope, but Ricky Sanchez nailed two charities on the other end to ice the victory.
Gilas Pilipinas stumbled to a 6-0 deficit, but launched a furious 18-0 run bridging the first and second quarters to take a 14-point lead, 29-15.
Puerto Rico hung on for the remainder of the game, and eventually took the lead entering the final frame, 61-57, as Gilas Pilipinas was hounded with turnovers all game long.
The Filipinos fought in a nip-and-tuck affair in the end, with Puerto Rico having an answer every time Gilas Pilipinas takes the lead.
Barea scored a layup with 3:58 left to tie the game at 67-all, but Blatche nailed a triple to put Gilas Pilipinas ahead, 70-67.
But Barea fired a triple with 2:11 remaining to tie the game at 70-all before Blatche turned the ball over on the other end and the guard bailed out the Puerto Ricans.
Blatche finished with 25 points and 14 rebounds to lead Gilas Pilipinas, which got booted out of contention after dropping its fourth straight game in the tournament.
LA Tenorio added 18 points as the Filipinos wrap up their campaign in the groups stages on Thursday against Senegal.
From
InterAksyon
Post Merge: September 03, 2014, 11:14:43 PM
Gilas eliminated from World Cup after Puerto Rico lossSEVILLE, Spain – A trip to the round-of-16 was not to be for Gilas Pilipinas.
Puerto Rico overcame a dismal beginning to outplay the Philippine men’s national basketball team for a 77-73 victory to eliminate Gilas Pilipinas from contention.
Minnesota Timberwolves point guard JJ Barea torched Gilas for 30 points and 5 rebounds while Ricky Sanchez scored 13 and grabbed 4 rebounds. Renaldo Balkman, who is banned for life from the Philippine Basketball Association for a choking incident in 2012, was a non-factor with 2 points.
Andray Blatche led Gilas with 25 points on 9/16 shooting to go with 14 rebounds but turned the ball over 6 times. LA Tenorio was a hero early for Gilas, scoring 18 points on 6/9 shooting.
Turnovers hurt Gilas significantly, as they gave the ball up more times, 19-16. Despite having a 3-inch disadvantage in average height at 6-foot-3, Gilas had parity in rebounding at 32 total.
Gilas Pilipinas falls to 0-4 with a final game against Senegal on Thursday night remaining while Puerto Rico improves to 1-3 in the rankings. Puerto Rico will play Croatia next.
Blatche scored the first basket in the payoff period but Puerto Rico quickly answered with a three-ball. A few plays later, Ranidel De Ocampo checks in the ball game and hit a long two cutting Puerto Rico's lead to just three, 64-61 with 6:32 left in the game.
Gilas took the lead back with a triple from Tenorio, 67-65.
Barea drive in transition at 6:26 mark of the third quarter trimmed the deficit to 2, 48-46. The speedy point guard nearly tied the count with 5:01 remaining in the third but botched a layup as the shot clock expired.
David Huertas hit an elbow three-pointer with under three minutes left in the 3rd period helping Puerto Rico inch closer, but Paul Lee furiously attacked in transition to give Gilas a 5-point cushion, 57-52.
The Puerto Ricans got their first taste of the lead with 40 seconds remaining after Puerto Rico converted on a tip-in by Jorge Diaz, 58-57. Puerto Rico then hit a triple to end the period on top, 61-57.
Gilas Pilipinas got off to a hot start in the opening quarter led by the smallest man in all of FIBA 2014 - LA Tenorio. Tenorio buried a corner three off a pass from a driving Andray Blatche before hitting on jumpers all in the first period.
Tenorio finished the 1st quarter with 9 points on perfect shooting from the field.
Blatche also starred in the first finishing the period with seven points highlighted by a two-handed slam and a three-point basket off a pass from Marc Pingris.
Puerto Rico's Ricky Sanchez started the scoring with back-to-back triples but no other teammate of his scored higher than his 6 points in the opening period.
Gilas Pilipinas wouldn't let up in the second quarter hitting basket after basket but Puerto Rico was able to close the gap thanks to JJ Barea.
Barea scored 9 points in the second period to finish the first half with 14 points. Puerto Rico outscored Gilas in the second period, 26-19 but still trailed by 5 points at halftime, 44-39.
From
Rappler
Post Merge: September 04, 2014, 12:14:42 PM
FIBA World Cup 2014 Day 5 Results, Scores, HighlightsSpain 88, France 64As the United States was earning its group-clinching win in fine fashion, its greatest competition at the World Cup was doing the same. Led by five players in double figures, Spain pulled away from France in the second half to earn an 88-64 win and essentially clinch its Group A championship.
While Brazil can technically win the group, it'd take a nearly impossible turn of events. Spain currently has a point differential of plus-110, 90 points better than Brazil. The Brazilians would need to defeat Egypt and have Spain lose to Serbia on Thursday, with a combined scoring differential of 91 between the teams.
In other words: Nope.
Marc Gasol led the way for Spain against France with 17 points and six rebounds, while brother Pau Gasol added 15. Juan Carlos Navarro, Sergio Llull and Serge Ibaka rounded out the double-digit scoring. The Spaniards shot 50.8 percent from the floor while holding a struggling France bunch to just 38.6 percent.
Nicolas Batum matched Antoine Diot with a team-high 11 points but shot 5-of-15 from the floor. He was the only French player to attempt 10 or more field goals. Boris Diaw turned in his worst outing of the tournament, scoring three points on 1-of-6 shooting while struggling to defend the Gasols down low. NBAers
Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier both played solid enough in limited minutes, but it wasn't enough against a Spain team that seems destined for the final. France, which drops to 2-2, can clinch a spot in the elimination round with a win over Iran on Thursday.
United States 106, Dominican Republic 71Two weeks apparently weren't enough for the Dominican Republic to build a basketball program on par with the United States.
In a game that in many ways mirrored their exhibition contest in New York City, the United States scuffled in the first half before pulling away in the second en route to a 106-71 win over the Dominican Republic.
As it has been for the entirety of the Spanish trip, the U.S. effort was led by its interior presence. Kenneth Faried scored a team-high 16 points, DeMarcus Cousins had 13 off the bench and Anthony Davis was a two-way menace in a 10-point, seven-rebound, five-block contest. With the United States ahead by only 15 points heading into the halftime break, Davis and Faried took over, scoring five of the team's first seven baskets to put any thought of an upset to bed.
The starting frontcourt has been sensational throughout the tournament, dominating opposing teams with their size and energy. Davis, who was mostly nondescript offensively, was unstoppable on the defensive end—almost making the paint uninhabitable for the Dominicans.
The blowout win moved Team USA to 4-0 and clinched Group C. The Americans have outscored their opponents by 142 points, by far the best in the tournament. They will close out group play on Thursday against Ukraine before starting knockout play against the fourth-seeded team of Group D over the weekend.
The Dominican Republic drops to 2-2 and sits in a tenuous fourth-place spot heading into Thursday. The Dominicans can clinch a knockout round berth with a win over Turkey, but will have their eyes glued on the Finland-New Zealand game nonetheless. Should Finland pull off the upset, the Dominican Republic should advance based on point differential. There is almost no scenario in which a New Zealand win and Dominican Republic loss puts the Dominicans through—unless the U.S. absolutely obliterates Ukraine.
Australia 70, Mexico 62Australia is without recognizable names such as Andrew Bogut and Patty Mills at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, but that hasn't stopped the Boomers from having a fantastic tournament thus far. The Aussies continued their impressive run Wednesday with a 70-62 win over Mexico to improve their record to 3-1.
San Antonio Spurs forward Aron Baynes paced Australia with 21 points, while Mexico struggled from the field as a team; shooting just over 40 percent.
Utah Jazz rookie Dante Exum was once again a virtual non-factor for Australia as he registered one rebound and one assist in limited minutes.
Based on the way Australia has been playing, though, it is tough to question its methods. The Aussies seem like virtual locks to move on to next round at this point, and they have a legitimate shot to finish on the podium.
Puerto Rico 77, Philippines 73In a Group B battle of two winless teams, it was Puerto Rico that finally came away victorious as it defeated The Philippines 77-73 in an entertaining game that went down to the wire.
Neither nation is known for their influence over the NBA, but each team was largely sparked by huge performances from NBA players. For Puerto Rico, it was Minnesota Timberwolves guard J.J. Barea who went off to the tune of 30 points.
The Philippines were led by 25 points from Brooklyn Nets big man Andray Blatche, but he ultimately didn't receive enough help from his supporting cast.
Gilas Pilipinas led for much of the game after jumping out to a 25-13 advantage in the third quarter. In the end, Puerto Rico was able to overcome its biggest halftime deficit in 24 years, per Guido Guida of NBA Italy.
The loss puts The Philippines in a nearly impossible position in terms of advancing to the knockout round, but Puerto Rico suddenly has a pulse after starting 0-3.
New Zealand 73, Ukraine 61What a difference a day makes at the FIBA World Cup. After upsetting Turkey on Tuesday, Ukraine seemed to have momentum on its side heading into a tilt with New Zealand Wednesday. Conversely, the Kiwis were dispatched fairly easily by Team USA, but it seems as though they gained some valuable experience against an NBA-laden squad.
Ultimately, New Zealand took control against Ukraine in the second quarter and never looked back as it prevailed 73-61 and picked up its first win in Spain. The victory temporarily pushed New Zealand past the knockout stage cutoff line, but its performance in the final group game will determine whether or not it advances.
The Kiwis were bolstered by 39 points off the bench, as well as 19 from former Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers guard Kirk Penney.
Despite the game being well in hand, both teams competed hard until the bitter end.
New Zealand may still have an uphill climb in front of it, but this was a landmark win that could generate plenty of confidence moving forward.
Iran 88, Egypt 73Both Iran and Egypt struggled out of the gates as part of arguably the deepest and best overall group at the 2014 FIBA World Cup, but there had to be a winner when they met Wednesday. Iran was the side that was able to keep its knockout round hopes alive with an 88-73 victory over the Egyptians.
The 15-point margin was largely the product of Iran jumping out ahead by 12 points in the first quarter.
As is often the case with Iran, center Hamed Haddadi was the dominant force in the game with 23 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The overmatched Egyptians simply didn't have an answer for him in the paint.
Forward Arsalan Kazemi became the first Iranian to be drafted into the NBA when the Washington Wizards took him in the second round of the 2013 draft. He was later dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers and has NBA aspirations, per FIBA.com.
"I'm still in contact with (Sixers general manager) Sam Hinkie and I believe when the time is right, I will get the call back and will be part of the 76ers," Kazemi said.
Kazemi had just two points off the bench against Egypt, but he will have at least one more chance to impress at the FIBA World Cup, and perhaps even more if Iran can orchestrate a shock advancement to the knockout stage.
Argentina 81, Senegal 46Argentina has had its ups and downs thus far at the FIBA World Cup, but the veteran-laden team imposed its will Wednesday in a dominant 81-46 win over Senegal.
The Argentinians are now 3-1, and they certainly look like viable candidates to advance to the semifinals or perhaps even beyond that.
A trio of players with NBA experience led the way for Argentina as Luis Scola, Walter Herrmann and Pablo Prigioni accounted for 43 of the team's points. On the other side, their African opponents shot a measly 33 percent from the field.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Gorgui Dieng led the way with 11 points, although it certainly wasn't his best performance of the tournament.
This was a somewhat disheartening performance from Senegal's perspective, but it is still in line to make it through to the knockout round, which would ultimately be a positive result.
Slovenia 93, Angola 87Angola was in position to possibly pull off the biggest upset of the 2014 FIBA World Cup thus far, but undefeated Slovenia buckled down in the fourth quarter and came away with a 93-87 win to remain perfect.
The African side carried a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, however, the Slovenians outscored them by seven in the final frame. That was particularly impressive considering the fact that they did so without Phoenix Suns point guard Goran Dragic.
He didn't score a single point in the second half, though, and it will be interesting to see if an injury of some kind factored into the decision to sit him.
Angola's combination of guard Roberto Fortes and center Yanick Moreira accounted for 41 points, however, it wasn't quite enough to come out on top. The Angolans aren't out of it yet, but they will need an upset win over Australia on Thursday and some help in order to move on.
Turkey 77, Finland 73In what was unquestionably the most exciting game of the 2014 FIBA World Cup thus far, Turkey overcame a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Finland 77-73 in overtime.
The Finns seemed to be in complete control of the game in front of a pro-Suomi crowd, but Turkey's never-say-die attitude prevailed in the end.
The Turks were on the verge of a third consecutive loss after squandering a halftime lead against Team USA and then getting upset by Ukraine. Thanks to perseverance, skill and a little luck, though, Turkey left the Finnish faithful in shock.
Finland star Petteri Koponen needed to hit just one of two free throws to end the game late, but he missed both, which allowed Turkey to force overtime with a dramatic three.
Several players contributed to Turkey's success in the game, but New Orleans Pelicans center Omer Asik was the key. He ended up with 22 points and eight rebounds, while matching the best offensive output of his NBA career.
The win has to make Turkey feel much more secure about its chances of moving on. Conversely, Finland is all but eliminated by virtue of a 64-point deficit in terms of differential.
Finland played well enough to win for a good portion of the game, and there is no doubt that everyone involved with the national team will be lamenting this loss for a long time.
Brazil 81, Serbia 73ednesday's Group A clash between Brazil and Serbia featured a myriad of momentum shifts throughout, but Brazil was ultimately able to rebound from a woeful third quarter and triumph to the tune of a 81-73 score.
The Brazilians came flying out of the gate and led Serbia by 16 points at halftime. The third quarter was all Serbia, however, as it outscored Brazil by 20 points to seize the lead.
It would have been easy for Brazil to wither after blowing such a sizable lead, but that wasn't the case. Forward Marquinhos Vieira stepped up to lead the Brazilians with 21 points on the game, while Golden State Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa chipped in 16 as well.
Brazil was in foul trouble for much of the second half as NBA big men Tiago Splitter, Anderson Varejao and Nene all played with four fouls. Serbia had 14 more attempts than Brazil from the free-throw line, but that was enough to pick up the win.
The win puts Brazil in ideal position at 3-1 behind only Spain in Group A. Even at 2-2, though, Serbia is in no danger of getting knocked out, and it will have plenty more to say before this tournament is over.
Lithuania 79, South Korea 49South Korea gave its fans a glimmer of hope early in Wednesday's meeting with Lithuania, but the European side proved to be too much as it took control from the second quarter on and tallied a routine 79-49 victory.
Much to the surprise of essentially everyone in the basketball world, the Koreans held a 19-17 lead after one quarter of play. That was quickly erased, though, as Lithuania outscored Korea by 12 points in the second and never took its foot off the gas.
The game was truly put away in the third quarter when South Korea couldn't get anything going offensively.
Korea shot under 38 percent for the game, while Lithuania shot nearly 49 percent and grabbed 18 more rebounds than the Koreans as well.
Houston Rockets forward Donatas Motiejunas and Toronto Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas combined for 30 points, and they figure to represent Lithuania's best chance at earning a podium finish in Spain this year.
Greece 76, Croatia 65There was plenty on the line when undefeated Greece butted heads with Croatia in a Group B affair Wednesday, and the spoils went to the Greeks as they won 76-65 and continued their perfect run at the FIBA World Cup.
Greece was successful in that regard as it essentially led from wire to wire. The Greeks benefited primarily from a balanced offense that saw five players score at least eight points. Also, guard Nikos Zisis was a fantastic facilitator throughout with 12 assists.
The Croatians still figure to play beyond the group stage, but a second loss means that their road through the tournament will be even more difficult. As for Greece, it has to be considered the favorite to win bronze provided it is unable to unseat Spain down the line.
From
Bleacher Report
